Investing in Women: Across the Caribbean - IWD 2024

21 March 2024, Caribbean: This year’s IWD theme was a significant opportunity to highlight the expanse of projects, countries, partners and thematic areas the MCO Caribbean covers across its geographic mandate of 22 countries and territories in the Dutch and English-speaking Caribbean.

A hazard prone region, when such occur, there is a disproportionate impact on women’s livelihoods through loss of employment in more vulnerable sectors like tourism and agriculture; due to the overall precarity of their employment as the majority in the informal sector; the increased responsibilities for child and elder care; and the increased incidences of gender-based violence.

For the MCO Caribbean therefore, much of the IWD focus was on the work to make women owned MSMEs climate and shock resilient including addressing the barriers women face to economic empowerment.

Rosalie, Dominica: Dominica businesswoman Lana Athanaze sharing on her business start-up and growth experiences with women MSME owners from Eastern Dominica at the BBE IWD UN Women Floating Café. Ms. Athanaze is among the growing network of Caribbean businesswomen, UN Women MCO Caribbean has supported in business development and women’s leadership training. UN Women Photo/Sheldon Casimir

 

In Dominica a key initiative linked women from a rural parish for the first time with financial and business support organisation representatives.  The women had on intuition and passion moved into entrepreneurial initiatives without any business support training. This initiative was facilitated under the Global Affairs Canada-funded, UN Women/UNFPA implemented Build Back Equal Project (BBE) in partnership with the Dominica Bureau of Gender Affairs.

Felicia Pierre, Project Coordination Analyst Dominica, BBE Project said: “Our first Empower-Her Floating Café was held in one of Dominica's most rural communities, where resources and trainings are not as easily accessible for women owning micro and small businesses in the East. By bringing the women into one space with the service providers, we facilitated the connection to increase their capacity to grow their livelihoods.

UN Women Photo/Sheldon Casimir

 

The participants were selected through engagement with village councils within the target communities, collaboration with community officers from the adult education and youth development division, selection of former clients of the Bureau of Gender Affairs who have experienced Gender-Based Violence, and support from Parliamentary Representatives where necessary. Primarily, our focus was on engaging women entrepreneurs or aspiring women entrepreneurs within the target communities, who demonstrated interest and willingness to participate in training across various sectors, including retail, food and beverage, and tourism.

UN Women Photo/Sheldon Casimir

 

This activity was achieved by creating an engaging environment where participants could interact with up to five women experts stationed at different tables, resembling a floating cafe. Additionally, there were presentations of products and services from established business support organizations and financial institutions.”

Loveness Nyakujarah, BBE Programme Coordinator said: “It was encouraging to learn from the women participants that the information and exchange during that session will make a huge difference in the running of their businesses. It gave me satisfaction that one small action has potential to catalyse women’s economic growth.

One woman after another posed poignant questions that demonstrated that more opportunities for women to learn about access to finance are needed. Almost no one in the room knew about the opportunities that were presented by the financial and business support organisations’ representatives with one government official who works on adult education exclaiming, ‘This is the best kept secret’. She committed that she would be sharing this with more women with whom she engages in her work.”

 

Other activities included:

UN Women Photos/Sheldon Casimir 

 

UN Women Photos/Sheldon Casimir

 

Collaboration with the Government of Dominica through the Global Affairs Canada-funded, UN Women/UNFPA implemented Build Back Equal Project for the ShePreneurs Stop and Shop initiative to move cruise ship visitors to local women MSME market and cultural spaces as well as spaces specifically for the indigenous Kalinago people and PLWD.  

From left, Felicia Pierre Project Coordination Analyst Dominica, Build Back Equal Project; Sharon Carter-Burke – Communications Analyst MCO Caribbean, Loveness Nyakujarah - Programme Coordinator, Build Back Equal Project and Alexandra Carter – MCO Caribbean Programme Analyst WEE. UN Women Photo

 

Hon. Benarva Browne, Minister of Urban Development, Energy, Seaports, Grenadines Affairs and Local Government delivering the feature address / Shannsha Browne - Serene Naturals Products. UN Women Photos/Stormy Windz Productions

 

• A night market for women entrepreneurs in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines also under the BBE Project and

 

Grenada Financial fair speakers. UN Women Photos/Brainstorm Media

 

Grenada Financial fair audience. UN Women Photos/Brainstorm Media

 

• In Grenada – a Financial Fair linking women owning MSMEs with actors from financial and business support institutions.

 

UN Women photos/Nadia Manning-Thomas

 

UN Women photos/Nadia Manning-Thomas

 

• Launch of the UN Women Gender Equality Forum, official side event at the 4th Global SIDS Conference.

 

UN Women Photo/Shurdelle Jennings

 

• The National Strategic Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Sexual Violence for Trinidad and Tobago 2023-2027 was launched with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago – a key milestone in UN Women’s work with the twin island Republic which was completed under the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative.

 

UN Women Photo/Lisle Warner

 

• Isiuwa Iyahen, Deputy Representative – UN Women MCO Caribbean offered empowering knowledge and guidance to young women and girls from Barbados at an NGO Workshop.

 

 UN Women Photo/Lisle Warner

 

• UN Women MCO Caribbean joined private sector partner CIBC’s an Evening of Empowerment IWD event and Nadia Manning-Thomas, Planning and Coordination Specialist – Barbados and the OECS, delivered remarks.